Angel V Peterchev

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

I direct the Brain Stimulation Engineering Lab (BSEL) which focuses on the development and modeling of devices and application paradigms for transcranial brain stimulation. Transcranial brain stimulation involves non-invasive delivery of fields (e.g., electric and magnetic) to the brain that modulate neural activity. Transcranial brain stimulation is increasingly used as a tool for brain research and a therapeutic intervention in neurology and psychiatry. My lab works closely with neuroscientists and clinicians to translate novel brain stimulation technology and optimize existing techniques. For example, we have developed a device for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that allows extensive control over the magnetic pulse parameters. We are currently deploying this device to optimize the magnetic stimulus in neuromodulatory TMS paradigms. We are also developing efficient algorithms for response estimation and individualization of brain stimulation. Another line of work is finite element computational modeling of the fields induced in the brain by electric and magnetic stimulation. My lab is involved in the integration of transcranial brain stimulation with imaging modalities such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), as well as the evaluation of the safety of device–device interactions, for example between transcranial stimulators and implants like deep-brain stimulation (DBS) systems.

In parallel, I pursue projects related to power electronics, with applications in electrical energy conversion and storage. Recent projects include modular multilevel converters for solar energy conversion and storage, grid storage applications, as well as electric vehicles.

Appointments and Affiliations

Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Education

Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley, 2005

Research Interests

I direct the Brain Stimulation Engineering Lab (BSEL) which focuses on the development and modeling of devices and application paradigms for transcranial brain stimulation. Transcranial brain stimulation involves non-invasive delivery of fields (e.g., electric and magnetic) to the brain that modulate neural activity. Transcranial brain stimulation is increasingly used as a tool for brain research and a therapeutic intervention in neurology and psychiatry. My lab works closely with neuroscientists and clinicians to translate novel brain stimulation technology and optimize existing techniques. For example, we have developed a device for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that allows extensive control over the magnetic pulse parameters. We are currently deploying this device to optimize the magnetic stimulus in neuromodulatory TMS paradigms. We are also developing efficient algorithms for response estimation and individualization of brain stimulation. Another line of work is finite element computational modeling of the fields induced in the brain by electric and magnetic stimulation. My lab is involved in the integration of transcranial brain stimulation with imaging modalities such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), as well as the evaluation of the safety of device-device interactions, for example between transcranial stimulators and implants like deep-brain stimulation (DBS) systems. I also collaborate on projects related to circuit design and control of electrical energy converters.